New York Man Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl Following HSI Newark Investigation

NEWARK, N.J. — A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark investigation has resulted in the sentencing of a New York man to time served — 25 months — for distribution and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, HSI Newark acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker announced.

Jose Migel Cleto, 65, of Manhattan, New York, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of distribution and possession with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

“At a time when the scourge of fentanyl continues to kill members of our communities at an alarming rate, we must continue to hold accountable those who deal this death with every resource available to us,” said Walker. “HSI Newark is committed to relentlessly pursuing justice in the hopes of ensuring lethal doses of narcotics cannot further infiltrate our New Jersey neighborhoods. “I am proud to stand alongside the U.S. attorney’s office in recognizing the urgency and severity of this issue.”

According to the investigation, in April 2022, Cleto distributed and possessed with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl to a man in a commercial parking lot in Fort Lee.

Walker credited personnel with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New York, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Phillip R. Sellinger, for their outstanding coordination leading to this sentencing.